The impact of preoperative depression on in-hospital outcomes in coronary artery bypass grafting: A propensity-matched analysis of National Inpatient Sample from 2015–2020

Abstract

Background

Depression has a high prevalence among patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). However, there is a scarcity of literature on the association between preoperative depression and CABG outcomes. This study aimed to explore the effects of preoperative major depression disorder (MDD) on in-hospital outcomes following CABG.

Methods

Patients who underwent CABG were identified in National Inpatient Sample from the last quarter of 2015 to 2020. Patients were stratified based on the diagnosis of MDD, followed by a 1:3 propensity-score matching of demographics, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, relevant diagnosis, admission status, and hospital characteristics between MDD and non-MDD patients. In-hospital perioperative outcomes, total length of stay (LOS), time from admission to operation, and total hospital charge were compared.

Results

There were 908 patients with MDD and 170,830 patients without MDD who underwent CABG. After propensity-score matching, 2,796 non-MDD were matched with all 908 MDD patients. While MDD patients have no difference in-hospital mortality or MACE, they had higher hemorrhage/hematoma (65.97 % vs 60.17 %, p < 0.01) and pacemaker implantation (2.53 % vs 1.43 %, p = 0.04). MDD patients had longer time from admission to operation (3.2 ± 0.1 vs 2.6 ± 0.2 days, p < 0.01), longer total LOS (12.6 ± 0.5 vs 10.5 ± 0.2 days, p < 0.01), and higher total hospital charge (272,255.0 ± 8930.1 vs 230,133.0 ± 3861.1 US dollars, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Potential barriers could exist for MDD patients seeking access to CABG. Preoperative MDD is a risk factor for complications following CABG including hemorrhage/hematoma and pacemaker implantation. Enhanced attention to coagulation function is advisable for MDD patients prior to CABG.